Show Up!

Emergenza Festival

Four nights of furious rock ’n' roll battles

By Simon McCormack

Hollow Point

The second installment of the Emergenza Festival in Albuquerque returns to the Launchpad this Thursday. With a stellar lineup of local mainstays like Caustic Lye, The Dirty Novels, Hit by a Bus and The Gracchi, you'll stay entertained until “hangover Monday” rears its discombobulated head. What follows is a breakdown of the action intended to give you some idea of what to expect on each of the four nights. Like all good competitions, however, unpredictable scheduling changes are inevitable and it should be noted that the intricacies of all the bands cannot be adequately espoused in the amount of space that this “Show Up” provides. Here, then, is your night-by-night summary of what's to come:

Thursday, April 13

Tonight's acts include politically charged, reggae/funk fiends Lost Lingo as well as post-hardcore metal heads Caustic Lye. Five Minute Sin's hard Southern rock will be in attendance (think Skynyrd with bone-crunching distortion), and Lights Out, Avowed Enemy, Raine Vivian, Manius, Misjudged and Man Born Blind will all make their presences felt.

Friday, April 14

Oliver and the Humanzees are slotted for Friday. Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews fans, rejoice! Alternative post-hardcore outfit Hit by a Bus will also be in the mix, as will power pop princes The Dirty Novels. Suspect, Caguama, Hollow Point, Mileva, Silvertongue and One for Hope are also on the night's bill.

Saturday, April 15

Christian alt.rockers Both Legs Broken break into the first weekend night along with Grants' Afro-beat rockers Zagadka. Saturday is also the night to catch the John Mayer-ish stylings of Paul Salazar as well as Bad Sindrome, Me vs. Myself, Random Order, An Action Word, As It Is and When May Ends.

Sunday, April 16

The final night of the competition features punk-metal mayhem makers The Attic Banned and rising stars in the neo-metal world Lower Than Dirt. Punkabilly providers The Gracchi will help finish out the weekend as will Crepitus, And in Agony, Baked, When Regret Remembers, Tribus and Southpaw.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with a $15 cover at the door each night. $10 advance tickets can be purchased from any of the participating bands.